Healthy: Indian-Spiced Tilapia

Tilapia is probably the go-to fish protein for people trying to eat healthy because it's such a lean fish. It's also among the cheapest fish to buy which makes it a good choice when you are trying to eat a lot of protein. It has an earthy taste which makes some people say it is a "dirty fish" (plus it is a scavenger, like catfish) but that earthy flavor creates a lot of opportunity to put a lot of flavor on top of it. That's also helpful when eating healthy because too many healthy recipes are bland. Most spices are low in calories and contain very little of the nutrients you want to limit on a cleaner diet (i.e. sugar, fat and carbs) so a cuisine like many Indian cuisines offer the opportunity to eat flavorful but healthy dishes. This particular tilapia dish brings big earthy spice to the fish at a small caloric price. You could omit the olive oil if you really want but that's your call.

Indian Spiced Tilapia Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Equipment:

• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen utensils, measuring spoons and cups
• Oven
• Baking pan

Ingredients:

• 4 6oz. tilapia fillets, thawed or fresh
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Cooking spray (optional)

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients except the tilapia and cooking spray starting with the cumin and working your way down. Mix into a paste.
3.  Coat each tilapia fillet on both sides with the spice paste, gently rubbing it into the meat.
4. Spray a thin coat of cooking spray on the baking pan to keep the fish from sticking (optional).
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.